PUTRAJAYA, Feb 14 — Datuk Seri Najib Razak today hailed the government’s interfaith committee as key in creating a common understanding and having constructive dialogue among the different religious groups in the country.
Najib said the body was important for the resolution of religious misunderstanding and disputes in the community, although it will operate behind closed doors.
“I would like to express my support for this committee as a mechanism which can solve the problems or issues through honest and frank discussions,” he said during his address during an Interfaith Week luncheon at Putrajaya International Convention Centre (PICC) here.
He also promised to provide allocations to the committee for it to perform its tasks.
However, Najib stressed that the discussions on religious matters must be kept private because these were deemed too sensitive for public debate.
He said that if religious discussions were not monitored, they will lead to further misunderstanding among the different religious communities.
“The issues which are related to religion are very sensitive, especially in the age of ICT, where everything can be spread in a blink of an eye. That is why we need to be careful because if the matter is discussed in public, it will lead to criticisms and opinions which may hurt others,” he said.
Najib said there has always been sceptics who believed the country would not be able prosper due to the diversity of racial makeup.
“We have been able to prove the sceptics wrong every time. In May 13 1969, we were able to overcome the difficulties and create a nation which is more peaceful and harmonious,” he said.
The prime minister then asked the public to be more patient with the interfaith committee and not expect the group to resolve all its issues within a short span of time.
There must be a paradigm shift in the public sphere, Najib said, adding that Malaysians must accept the differences among the communities.
“Empathy is very important because this will open one’s mind to see not only from our point of view but from the perspective of others.
“If we are close-minded and do not feel empathy, then we will not be able to find the points of similarities among us,” he said.
Najib said that the country’s major religions have always taught its followers to love and forgive instead of hate.
“In our religion, Allah asks us to be fair and just not only Muslims but also to others. This is the true teachings of Islam,” he said.
Interfaith dialogue at the sub-committee level was scheduled to start on April 13 last year but was called off at the last minute after the Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism (MCCBCHST) took offence at reported remarks by Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.
Ties between the Muslim and non-Muslim camps within the committee were further strained after the Council of Muftis contested the committee’s name and demanded a change.
The muftis had unanimously voted for a name change demand on April 3, claiming its previous name would cause confusion among Malaysian Muslims.
Despite the hiccups, Najib recently pledged full administrative and financial support to revive the stillborn interfaith committee.
He also met all 35 members of the newly renamed Committee for the Understanding and Harmony Among Religious Adherents in September last year.
However, the Najib administration again came under fire from religious groups after an aide had reportedly instructed church officials to remove crucifixes and other overt Christian symbols from being displayed at the party grounds in Bukit Nanas before the PM’s visit for a Christmas function.
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